Mayor Gary McCarthy, left, flanked by some of his department heads speaks about reducing the crime rate, the licensing of dogs in the City and getting homes up to code May 14, 2013 in Schenectady, N.Y. With McCarthy are Chief Code Inspector Eric Schilling, second from left, Police Chief Brian Kilcullen, Councilwoman Leesa Perazzo and Fire Chief Mike DellaRocco. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Mayor Gary McCarthy, left, flanked by some of his department heads speaks about reducing the crime rate, the licensing of dogs in the City and getting homes up to code May 14, 2013 in Schenectady, N.Y. With ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

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Sharron-Linn Schmidt, vice president of the Mont Pleasant neighborhood Association foreground, listens to Mayor Gary McCarthy as he speaks about reducing the crime rate, the licensing of dogs in the City and getting homes up to code May 14, 2013 in Schenectady, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union) less

Sharron-Linn Schmidt, vice president of the Mont Pleasant neighborhood Association foreground, listens to Mayor Gary McCarthy as he speaks about reducing the crime rate, the licensing of dogs in the City and ... more

Photo: SKIP DICKSTEIN

Image 3 of 3

Dog census can bite scofflaws

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Schenectady

Despite previous concerns raised by some City Council members, the city is going forward with a dog census.

The council would have had to approve the $22,000 being requested to pay for people to go door to door inquiring about unlicensed canines.

But city officials got around needing the City Council's blessing by shifting the responsibility not only onto code enforcement officers but also onto school crossing guards, who will be paid overtime out of what City Clerk Chuck Thorne said is an extra $15,000 to $25,000 in that budget line.

Thorne said the police department's traffic division, which oversees crossing guards, reported that some guards have expressed interest in working on the dog census.

On Tuesday, Mayor Gary McCarthy held one of his regular press events to promote code enforcement sweeps that will be done in neighborhoods throughout the summer. But this time, the mayor also announced that code enforcers will be looking for signs of a dog in the house, and if the owner has a license.

The topic of loose and dangerous dogs has been a hot-button issue in the city for years, particularly since 2011, when a woman was mauled by a pit bull in the Hamilton Hill neighborhood.

When the idea of the census was floated in February, some City Council members either wanted proof of how much a census would cost or were concerned about people going door to door and requesting licenses from people in rougher neighborhoods.

Thorne previously said that according to a calculator he found online that computes human-to-pet population ratios, Schenectady could have up to 15,000 dogs – when only about 1,400 are licensed.

He hopes a census, which could be spread out over several years, will at minimum double licenses – and therefore double fees from generating $18,000-$20,000 a year to $36,000-$40,000 a year. A valid rabies vaccination certificate is needed for a license.

If a person is not home and there are signs of a dog in the house, such as items outside or barking, the census taker will leave a letter stating the person has 21 days to get a license or face a possible ticket.

Licenses are $13.50 for a neutered or spayed dog and $20.50 for an unfixed dog. Seniors rates are $3.50 for neutered dogs and $10.50 for unneutered.

Originally, the plan had a census fee added to the license fee, but Thorne said that won't be instituted for several years.